<\/p>\n
For Columbus\u2019 Top Bars, we highlight over 50 places that offer a good time out\u2014however you define it. Columbus Monthly’s food team recommends spots from bougie to budget that bring the best elements bars have to offer: good drinks, knowledgeable bartenders and great company.\u00a0<\/p>\n Read on to find Columbus’ best bars with entertainment, and be sure to check our other Top Bars listings<\/a> for our favorite dives and neighborhood bars, beer bars and breweries, wine bars and wineries, and cocktail bars.<\/p>\n Connect with the Columbus you don’t know.<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0Subscribe to Columbus Monthly’s weekly Top Reads newsletter<\/strong><\/em><\/a>.<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0<\/p>\n First opened in 2011 by Columbus musician Marcy Mays, the Old North bar transformed a former bank into one of the city\u2019s premier small music venues for regional and national acts. It\u2019s made even better by a Dirty Frank\u2019s Hot Dog Palace window, slinging dogs to go with your beer. 2619 N. High St., Old North<\/em>, aceofcupsbar.com<\/a><\/p>\n We often refer to the culinary arts, but nowhere has the line between art and food been more blurred than Bar Room, a part-bar, part-installation from artist Tavares Strachan. He\u2019s transformed a third floor gallery of the Columbus Museum of Art at The Pizzuti into a hangout inspired by the rum bars from his youth in the Bahamas. There you\u2019ll find a carefully curated menu of cocktails, small plates and a rum-heavy spirits list. 632 Park St., Victorian Village<\/em>, columbusmuseum.org\/bar-room<\/a><\/p>\n Thanks to owners Derrik and Tiffini Pannell, the preservation of jazz culture is alive and well at the Blu Note. On any given Saturday night, you can catch the room\u2019s blue lights reflecting off the jazz clarinet while the bassist plays, eyes closed, and musician James Gaiters keeps time on the drums. It\u2019s a relaxing night out, whether sitting at the small bar, at a cozy table near the band or on the patio. Last year the Pannells expanded with Blu Note on Town, a second jazz lounge in the historic Snowden Gray Mansion on Town Street. 2882 E. Main St., East Side<\/em>, experiencetheblu.com<\/a><\/p>\n The faded wooden sign over High Street marks \u201cThe One and Only Dick\u2019s Den,\u201d an Old North dive that\u2019s beloved both as a cramped neighborhood bar and a haven for jazz and bluegrass music in Columbus. \u201cWhy Not?\u201d beams the neon sign in the window. Even one visit to the intimate bar for a Tuesday night bluegrass jam or any show from local and regional touring acts will have you saying, \u201cWhy not, indeed?\u201d 2417 N. High St., Old North<\/em><\/p>\n I Like It Like That feels like the final piece in the puzzle that completes the Natalie\u2019s Grandview music hall. The corner cocktail bar consisting of three small rooms complements the two music stages in Natalie\u2019s. Owners Genevieve Johnson and Lindsay Koontz, well known around the Columbus bar scene, have crafted a kitschy and delightful place for the best of \u201chooch concoctions and giggle water.\u201d During the day, I Like It Like That is home to another Columbus gem, the equally charming and accomplished Royal Flamingo Coffee. 945 King Ave., Fifth by Northwest<\/em>, ilikeitlikethatbar.com<\/a><\/p>\n Restaurateurs BJ Lieberman and his wife, Bronwyn Haines, have the golden touch when it comes to creating interesting gathering spaces. Ginger Rabbit, a nice pre- or post-dinner companion to their nearby Italian restaurant Metsi\u2019s, has thrived since opening in spring 2022, living up to its \u201cLa La Land\u201d inspiration. The subterranean joint offers nightly jazz, an emphasis on gin cocktails and elevated small plates. Reservations are a must. 17 Buttles Ave., Short North<\/em>, gingerrabbitjazz.com<\/a><\/p>\n Whether you\u2019re a Gen Xer or a current kiddo (under supervision until 8 p.m.), Old North Arcade might be your spot. The arcade bar offers a wide selection of retro cabinets, from Ms. Pac-Man to Mortal Kombat. Pinball, Skee-Ball, air hockey and consoles like Nintendo and Sega are all here, too, as well as a \u201cTron room\u201d in a bank vault. And what goes better with video games than pizza? Borgata Pizza began serving up slices out of the arcade last year, a welcome addition. 2591 N. High St., Old North<\/em>, oldnortharcade.com<\/a><\/p>\n One of the city\u2019s first adult playgrounds, Pins\u2019 Downtown location offers fun like duckpin bowling, pinball and yard games in a converted tire repair shop. While you fling bowling balls down the alley or compete in jumbo-sized Jenga, you can sip on the bar\u2019s Ohio-heavy, 40-strong beer list, specialty cocktails or shareable punch bowls. 141 N. Fourth St., Downtown; 6558 Riverside Drive, Dublin; 4117 Worth Ave., Easton<\/em>, pinsbar.com<\/a><\/p>\n For all of its musical talent, Columbus has a dearth of small venues for local artists and regional touring acts. So we all breathed a sigh of relief when new owners kept the Rambling House Music Bar alive and kicking. And kicking it is, with full schedule of music every Wednesday through Sunday. The entertainment blends nicely with fun cocktails, ciders, an Ohio-heavy beer list, wines and Rambling House ginger beer. 310 E. Hudson St., University District<\/em>, ramblinghousemusic.com<\/a><\/p>\n This story appeared in the August 2026 issue of Columbus Monthly as part of the Top Bars feature package. See the complete list\u00a0<\/em>here<\/em><\/a>\u00a0and<\/em>\u00a0subscribe to Columbus Monthly here.<\/em><\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n \u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n \u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.columbusmonthly.com \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" These nine bars offer great drinks and better entertainment, from music to arcade games and more. For Columbus\u2019 Top Bars, we highlight over 50 places that offer a good time out\u2014however you define it. Columbus Monthly’s food team recommends spots from bougie to budget that bring the best elements bars have to offer: good drinks, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2509806,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[25172],"tags":[39915,23530,24391,239382,22795,6297,22118,239372,239374,21739,298790,23846,39215,239343,239347,23759,147314,345957,345956,345961,25306,239344],"class_list":["post-2509805","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-entertainment","tag-affiliate","tag-bars","tag-clubs","tag-clubs-u0026-nightlife","tag-columbus","tag-eamotion","tag-food","tag-geographic","tag-geographic-reference","tag-local","tag-local-affiliate-food","tag-nightlife","tag-oh","tag-overall","tag-overall-positive","tag-positive","tag-reference","tag-reservations","tag-restaurant","tag-restaurant-reviews-u0026-reservations","tag-reviews","tag-u0026"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Top-Bars-for-Entertainment-in-Columbus.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2509805","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2509805"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2509805\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2509807,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2509805\/revisions\/2509807"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2509806"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2509805"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2509805"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2509805"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nThese nine bars offer great drinks and better entertainment, from music to arcade games and more.<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
Ace of Cups<\/h2>\n
Bar Room<\/h2>\n
Blu Note Jazz Caf\u00e9<\/h2>\n
Dick\u2019s Den<\/h2>\n
I Like It Like That<\/h2>\n
Ginger Rabbit Jazz Lounge<\/h2>\n
Old North Arcade<\/h2>\n
Pins Mechanical Co.<\/h2>\n
Rambling House Music Bar<\/h2>\n